Sweden eliminated the U.S. Women’s National Team from the 2016 Rio Olympics on Friday, winning 4-3 on penalty kicks after the match finished 1-1 through regulation and extra time.
The USWNT has played in every gold medal match since women’s soccer became an Olympic sport in 1996.
The USWNT dominated possession for most of the quarterfinal match, and had multiple chances to score throughout the first half. But Sweden struck first, when Stina Blackstenius finished a counterattack in the 61st minute.
American striker Alex Morgan beat Swedish defenders to a loose ball in front of goal and scored in the 77th minute, making the score 1-1:
The U.S. didn’t score during extra time, despite having plenty of chances. Each team scored a goal during the period, but neither counted because the referee waved them off for (incorrect) offside calls.
Morgan led off the penalty shootout for the USWNT, but Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl saved the shot. American keeper Hope Solo made a fantastic save to keep the Americans alive later in the shootout, but striker Christen Press missed her penalty on the USWNT’s fifth kick. Sweden’s Lisa Dahlkvist buried her shot seconds later, giving the Swedes the victory and advancing them to the semifinals.
Sweden ― under manager Pia Sundhage, who led the USWNT to a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics ― will advance to face either Australia or the host Brazil. The Americans’ quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal, though, is over.
Solo criticized Sweden’s playing style after the game.
“I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team. But I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today. I strongly believe that,” she said, according to reports.
This article has been updated with comment from Hope Solo.
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